Ducks, Geese & Swans in Aberdeen
Our list for Aberdeen has 22 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 11 residents, 7 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Aberdeen in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 22, most common first
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorCommon60–75 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentUncommon40–47 cmRegularly Dec–Oct
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorUncommon140–165 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisPassage migrantUncommon58–70 cmRegularly Sep–Oct
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRegularly Oct–May
Brent GooseBranta berniclaPassage migrantUncommon55–66 cmRegularly Sep
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentUncommon76–110 cmRegularly Jun–Aug
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentUncommon58–67 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaResidentUncommon51–58 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataScarceUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep
Northern PintailAnas acutaScarceRare59–76 cm
GadwallMareca streperaResidentRare46–56 cmRegularly Mar
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Eurasian Teal 34–38 cm
- Tufted Duck 40–47 cm
- Goldeneye 40–51 cm
- Eurasian Wigeon 42–51 cm
- Northern Shoveler 44–51 cm
- Common Scoter 43–54 cm
- Long-tailed Duck 37–60 cm
- Gadwall 46–56 cm
- Velvet Scoter 51–58 cm
- Red-breasted Merganser 52–58 cm
- Mallard 50–65 cm
- Eider 50–71 cm
- Brent Goose 55–66 cm
- Common Shelduck 58–67 cm
- Common Merganser 58–68 cm
- Barnacle Goose 58–70 cm
- Pink-footed Goose 60–75 cm
- Northern Pintail 59–76 cm
- Greylag Goose 75–90 cm
- Canada Goose 76–110 cm
- Mute Swan 140–160 cm
- Whooper Swan 140–165 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made